England, so much more than London
‘Close your eyes, and the entire history of England seems to dance in the light of this magic lantern: the thousands of villages, each with its own church spire and unique folk traditions; the poetry and drama; the pies and cakes; the green hills full of sheep;’ ― Robert Winder
For our last few days on this epic journey, we explored Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, and Wiltshire, ultimately making our way to London and Journey’s End. What a wonderful finale to our exploration of all that the United Kingdom and Ireland has to offer.
We packed a lot into this trip which caused us to live out of our suitcases for most of the journey for which I have no regrets. I enjoyed every moment that we packed into this journey both the people and places.
Picturesque and quaint, the English countryside is made up of small villages and farms and all manner of growing things.
Bath and the Pulteney Bridge, a fine example of Georgian architecture, designed by Robert Adam. It is one of only four bridges in the world that has shops across both sides of its span.
The city of Bath, first populated by the Romans thanks to the local hot springs grew into prominence in the 19th century as the fashionable retreat for the English high society who retreated here to take the waters, enjoy a more liberal and relaxed lifestyle, presided over the oh so fashionable Beau Brummel and the location for many a regency romance.
Not much has changed here since my first visit back in 2007, I compared the pictures from then to now and some of them are identical. I felt that time had stood still in the last fifteen years.
The Roman Baths were first established in 60 AD. Subsequently the city fell into ruin and was revived multiple times during the passage of time all the way to the 19th century when it became a thriving spa town, a popular destination for the English aristocracy. It is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Great Spa Town in Europe.
Despite reading about the benefits of the baths and all those regency romances that talked about taking the waters I don’t think I’ve seen anyone in these waters; not sure I blame them.
The famous Pump Room. No lemonade and ratafia but still a popular place for a meal or teatime. This is one of the few places in England where they don’t serve scones with your tea but have their own specialty cakes instead. I enjoyed my tea and cake to the sound of soothing classical melodies skillfully played on the piano.
In a curved window overlooking the baths is a fountain that brings the waters from the baths here for patrons to taste and enjoy. Despite my better judgement but at the urging of my server I sampled the waters. I’m not sure what benefit if any I received but there were definitely no ill effects.
The Bath Abbey fell into disrepair when Henry the VIII dissolved the monasteries and priories to usurp their wealth and establish the church of England. However, when the town gained fame during the Georgian period, the abbey was restored by the then Bishop of Wells and Bath.
The beautiful and oh so gothic Wells Cathedral presided over by that same Bishop of Bath and Wells. We made a quick stop here at the church to admire the beautiful gothic architecture and take a bio break. Exploration of the town was not in our itinerary since we were headed to a cheddar cheese tasting.
We did however get to gawk at the beautiful wedding party with a military groom that streamed out of the cathedral during our short visit here.
Did you know that Cheddar Cheese was invented in this small town in England? As we well know it has now traveled worldwide, but the town of Cobh Cheddar is still around, and you can stop for a spot of Cheddar cheese tasting and buying.
Apparently, the Cheddar Gorge is a beautiful scenic destination which we did not actually see thanks to the narrow roads and limited time.
The next day found us up early on a gloomy morning exploring Dartmoor. With mist rising above the ground, all the tales that you’ve heard and read definitely seemed to have a grain of truth. Was that the hound of Baskervilles racing through the mist foraging for human souls?
Cows and sheep grazed along the roads and had right of way across the roads that we traversed. Our guide famous in these parts as Dartmoor’s Daughter told us how she couldn’t wait to leave this beauty behind for bright city lights but now that she has found her way back, she has a new and better appreciation of all that this area has to offer and spends her time showing visitors the beauty and history of this area.
We stopped at these beautiful fairy bridges rich with myths and legends before stopping for the most wonderful ice-cream. I restricted myself to just one to not appear like a glutton and then found that I was in the minority as the folks discussed the different flavors they had tasted.
The granite tors and hollows that are liberally sprinkled along the moor with their very own legends.
With the sun rising we crossed over to the village of Looie on the Cornish coast. The little town was full of locals enjoying the weather and we finally got to sample the best Cornish pasties on this trip. I don’t remember where I first tasted them, but these did not live up to my memories of what I had tasted before.
A lot of kids playing along the water, this young boy was trying to catch crabs near the bridge. He seems to have made a head start on this project.
Plymouth and the marker for the spot where the pilgrim fathers set sail for the new world. We too took our own boat trip retracing some of the steps of that voyage though ours was short and brought us back too soon.
When I get the chance, I think I am going to close the loop and head to Massachusetts and visit Plymouth rock where they made landfall and established the United States of America.
It was a forbidding skyscape that welcomed us to the Salisbury Plain as we stopped at Stonehenge. This mysterious dance of stones that leads to so many questions about how these large rocks were lifted and moved and placed just so in the middle of a barren landscape.
No answers to questions that have plagued many smarter than I, but the sun was shining brightly as we departed on our way to London.
In London, I had grandiose plans to recreate an original trip that I did with my children when I first brought them here but while my spirit was strong my flesh was weak. I was content to spend a few days just lazing with family, catching up on news, doing laundry and enjoying a few home cooked meals.
The only thing that I managed to achieve was a visit to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich to straddle the zero longitude. To get here we took the underground that included a ride on the new Elizabeth line and then a walk through the royal park so I could huff and puff up the steep hill to the observatory.
It was a beautiful day and the views from the top were gorgeous. I don’t think I have seen such bright sunshine in all the times I’ve been to London.
Goodbye to London, Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland. Until we meet again. Goodbye to a wonderful group of new friends, until we meet again. The best group ever!
This has been an epic trip and I saw and did so much. The Edinburgh Tattoo which had been a long-held dream, the isle of Skye the subject so many romantic fantasies, the Orkney Islands, Ireland so rich with history, beautiful scenery and friendly people. I can’t believe I’m already thinking of what I missed and what I want to repeat but for now I’m going to rest and dream and be grateful for all the bounties that I have received.